name: Brightcove FinOps
description: Financial operations guidance for managing Brightcove API and platform costs. Brightcove uses custom enterprise pricing driven by usage metrics. Understanding cost drivers and implementing monitoring helps optimize spending.
cost_drivers:
  - name: Video Bandwidth
    description: The primary cost driver. Total data transferred during video playback across all viewers. Higher quality streams and more viewers increase bandwidth costs significantly.
    optimization_tips:
      - Use Delivery Rules API to serve appropriate quality renditions per device and connection
      - Enable adaptive bitrate streaming to reduce unnecessary bandwidth for slower connections
      - Implement geographic delivery rules to optimize CDN costs

  - name: Video Storage
    description: Storage for all video files, renditions, thumbnails, and assets in the Video Cloud library.
    optimization_tips:
      - Audit the CMS API for unused or duplicate videos and remove them
      - Use custom Ingest Profiles to limit the number of renditions created per video
      - Archive rarely-accessed content and remove from Video Cloud if no longer needed

  - name: Video Plays / Streams
    description: Number of video play events across all players and platforms. High-traffic sites with many viewers increase play counts significantly.
    optimization_tips:
      - Use the Analytics API to identify low-engagement videos that may not justify ongoing hosting costs
      - Implement Playback Restrictions to control access and prevent unauthorized embedding

  - name: Live Streaming
    description: Live API usage billed based on hours of live streaming, number of concurrent streams, and output renditions.
    optimization_tips:
      - Limit concurrent live jobs to what is actively needed
      - Use Static Entry Points (SEP) for recurring events rather than creating new jobs
      - Monitor the Live API job count to avoid idle waiting jobs that count against limits

  - name: Product Tier and Add-ons
    description: Higher product tiers (Enterprise vs Marketing) include additional APIs and features at higher price points. Some features like SSAI, DRM, and Cloud Playout may be add-ons.
    optimization_tips:
      - Audit which APIs and features are actually in use before renewing
      - Use the Analytics API to measure ROI on features like SSAI monetization

monitoring_recommendations:
  - Regularly query the Analytics API to track play counts, bandwidth, and engagement metrics
  - Monitor Dynamic Ingest job status via the CMS API to ensure no runaway ingestion jobs
  - Review Live API active jobs to avoid unintended idle job accumulation
  - Set up alerts based on Analytics API data for unusual spikes in plays or bandwidth

cost_visibility:
  - Brightcove does not provide a real-time cost dashboard via API
  - Billing is managed through contract negotiations and invoices
  - Request detailed usage reports from your Brightcove account manager
  - Use the Analytics API (https://analytics.api.brightcove.com/v1) to correlate play counts and engagement with billing metrics

contract_guidance:
  - Negotiate bandwidth and storage overages carefully; overages can be significant
  - Establish clear SLAs and support terms before signing
  - Annual contracts are standard; multi-year deals may offer discounts
  - Request usage-based billing caps or alerts from your account manager
  - Review add-on features (SSAI, DRM, Cloud Playout, Interactivity) carefully for actual usage